Podcast: Technology Bytes for May 31, 2011

‘MacDefender’ Fake Anti-Virus Targets Mac ComputersApple and its fans have long boasted that Macs are all but immune to viruses and malware that has long plagued Windows computers. A new threat has emerged, this time targeting Mac users, using a familiar tactic in the Windows world. While browsing the web, users are redirected from a legitimate site to a fake web site telling them that their computer is infected with a virus, and offers to download “Mac Defender” to use it. However, the application is only masquerading as an anti-virus application. In fact, MacDefender itself is the virus, and users who are tricked to installing it have become infected…

Barnes & Noble Announces Nook Simple Touch eBook Reader
Barnes &amp; Noble announced the $139 Nook Simple Touch Reader, that will hit store shelves by June 10. The new Nook is a less capable, more simplified device, in comparison to the company’s more expensive Nook Color tablet–which is more of tablet computer that also reads eBooks. The new reader features an updated screen with 50% better contrast, is is almost a square 5″ by 6.5″ and at just 7.5 ounces, weighs less than rival Amazon’s Kindle 3, and 35 percent lighter than the original Nook. While it is similar to the Kindle in appearance and functionality, with a black and white E Ink screen, instead of buttons, the new Nook features a touchscreen interface, allowing users to simulate turning pages by touching the screen with their fingers and search and type notes with an on-screen keyboard…

Kindle eBooks Overtake Print Books on Amazon.com
Amazon issued a press release celebrating that as of April 1, Kindle eBook stales have overtaken sales of all print titles, both hardcover and paperback combined. For every 100 print books sold, the company moved 105 Kindle books, not including downloads of free titles. Along with Amazon’s Kindle eReaders, books can be read on a variety of other devices and platforms, including iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, Android, Windows Phone, and more.

Netflix Streaming Becomes Largest Source of North American Internet Traffic
Netflix streaming now accounts for 22.2% of all U.S. broadband traffic, and 29.7% of peak Internet traffic in North America, the largest usage of any single application or service, including YouTube and peer-to-peer file sharing such as BitTorrent.